Power take-off mechanism



Jan. 30, 1951 M. F. PACAS 2,539,589

POWER TAKE-0FF MECHANISM Filed May 2, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet l ]N VEN TOR.

ATTORNEYS Jan. 30, 1951 M. F. PAcAs POWER TAKE-OFF MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 2, 1947 m No P W m m M w m E ATTORNEYS Jan. 30, 1951 M. F. PAcAs POWER TAKE-OFF MECHANISM 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed May 2, 1947 JNI "ENTOR.

ATTORNEYS Jan.\30, 1951 M. F. PAcAs 2,539,589

POWER TAKE-OFF MECHANISM Filed May 2, 1947 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 FIG 5 Mame/P 3 B2 \YC/ 4/ BY 70 74 d Lula/g FIG 6 ATTORNEYS Patented Jan. 30, 1951 UNITED STATE-S PATENT OFFICE 2,539,589 POWER TAKEQOFF MECHANISM Manuel F. Pac'a's, San Salvador, El salva'ati Application May '2, 1947, Serial No. 745-,603

v 6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to a power take-off mechanism and, more particularly, to a novel mechanism of this type associated with an autom'otive vehicle to be employed to operate a power stering means at speeds in excess of or less than the engine speed, as well as to apply a braking action upon the vehicle under certain circum stances.

My arrangement is simple and compact in arrangement and construction and may be easily tied in with the usual elements of a vehicle in such a manner that the control means, which is normally placed convenient to the vehicle operator, can be employed with facility and accuracy to place the mechanism in operation either for the production of power or for braking effect, or for both.

important feature of my invention relates to the employment of momentum of a vehicle, as it descends an incline, to apply rotation through a train of gears to a pump mechanism or to a generator for the production of power capable of being stored either in compressed air cells or in conventional storage batteries, while at the same time supplying a braking efiect uponthe vehicle; aside from that normally available by the usual friction devices employed.

In accordance with my invention, the usual vehicular engine may be uncouple'd from the propeller shaft and the power take off, mechanism be coupled in its place at one side to operate the pum 'or generator mentioned.

It is most desirable in some cases toinsure that the disconnection of theengine from the propeller shaft be so maintained that it cannot be reestablished without the operator first de-actuating the power take-off mechanism.

Another feature 'of the invention is to provide a mechanism that may either be employed automatically, the engine first being disconnected from the propeller shaft upon the partial appli- 'a'tio'n of the vehicle brakes, or which maybe placed in operation manually, irrespective of the operation of the brakes;

One more feature of the mechanism is to be feund in the manner in which I have arranged simply for the engagement and disengagement of certain gear and clutch elements, employed in the power take-cit; in a sequential mannerto prevent clashing and to eliminate noise. This is meet desirable in the usual passenger vehicles for the ce'mfort of the passengers, as well as to keep the mechanism within the skill of less e): perieii'ced operate-rs. m 1

Still another nova feature, army invention is the mcmsiefi (if an arrangement whereby plural w and is mart urn i s..wi n meane t 2 speeds may be obtained between a vehicle propeller shaft and a member being driven, depending upon the desire of the. operator, one 'of which speeds may be selected easily and quickly through the manipulation of means normally familiar to the operator. The selector mechanism is preferably manually operated, and I have provided that it be such that only one speed may be employed at a time. and that that speed must first be abandoned before another speed can be employed; with a consequent saving due to the elimination of wear and tear on the parts of the power take;- off and the prevention of accidental engagement of the mechanism in two speeds simultaneously; These, and other features of .the invention will be better understood upon reading the following specification, in view of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of my mechanism in the neutral position as it is associated with the conventional drive shaft of a vehicle; M v V Fig; 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional View taken on line 2--2 of Fig. 1; o Fig. 3 is a plan View taken in the plane 3- 3 of Fig. 2 and with portions of the gear case broken away for convenience of illustration; U Fig; 4i is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken through a gear se ment and eccentric member ,on the line 4-4, of Fig. 3; v A Fig. 5,is a vertical sectional view taken on line 5"-5 of Fig; 2; H I n Fig; 6 is a schematic view of the eccentricgroup and rod shifter means associated therewith;

Fig. '7 is a plan view of the rack shifter mechanism as it appears at a selected moment of operation; a Fig. 8 is an enlarged, perspective view showing a detail of the rack shifter of Fig. 7; g I g g A Fig. 9 is a view in elevation of the lever that is employed to operate the rack shifter mechanism; and I Fig. 10 is a schematic view showing a detail of an alternative means employed to shift a pair of gears into mesh. My mechanism is associated with the main propeller shaft [9 which extends between the conventional engine transmission and diffferen tial bf an automotive vehicle; For flexibility} have interposed in shaft H! the universal couplings H and I2, between which is the, inter; mediate portion l3. The rearshaft section i4 is coupled between universal joint 12 into the differentialgear r nl Gear l6 issecured to Shaftportion l} by pi I 20 in chamber i8 which extends laterally to one side of the axis of shaft I6. Gear 22 which is rigid with shaft 23 meshes with gears I6 and establishes the line of shaft 25 and countershaft 26, Shaft 26 is freely journalled in the end of shaft 25.

Within chamber 28 of case 26 is a clutch whereby shafts 23 and 25 are coupled. The clutch comprises cup 36 and cone 3|, which latter element is slidably coupled to shaft 25 by grooves and the splines therebetween. A shifter fork 32 engages in groove 33 of cone member 3I, and its shank extends upward through opening 34 in a wall of chamber 28. Shaft 25 extends through the wall 29 between chambers 28 and 36 in which latter chamber is positioned gear 35. Shaft 26 within chamber 36 of gear case 26 is rotatable independently of shaft 25 and has mounted thereon shiftable gears 46, 42, 44 and 46, which are of various sizes as shown in Fig. 2.

, Driven shaft 31 is suitably journalled in the 26 will drive gear 56 on idler shaft 52 which carries the sheave54 external of casing 26.

Fromthe foregoing it will be seen that, when the propeller shaft I6 is turning and the elements 36 and 3| of the clutch between shafts 23 and 25 are in engagement, rotative power will be applied to driven shaft 31 and may be applied to shaft 26 in either reduced or elevated speed, in accordance with the meshing of any of the pairs of gears 46-4I, 42-43, 44-45, or 46-41, as dictated by the desire of the operator when translated through the instrumentality of certain setting or selecting mechanism, to be described later.

which are aligned with the openings in the forward wall of chamber I1 and extend forward of the gear case. Between each eccentric member and wall I9 there are one or more spring-pressed detent assemblies I66, which serve to maintain the eccentric member in a desired position, whereby it may not vibrate out of alignment during periods of non-use. The chamber I1 is closed by cover plate I62 secured thereon.

Shifting of the rack bars is accomplished at a point convenient to the operator. In the case of an automobile or truck, a lever IE6 is pivotally mounted in an upright position in the ball-andsocket element I I2, so that its intermediate portion extends through the crossing of the slotted X-shaped guide H4. Member H4 has slots II 5 in its arms. The arms of member II4 are also channeled and each has slidable therein a slider such as I16, H7, H8, and H9, which are connected to racks 96, 94, 96, and 92, respectively,

by links I26, I2I, I22, and I23, respectively. The

four sliders are normally positioned at the crossing of member I I4 with the notches I26 so grouped and opened that an operator may selectively introduce the lever I I6 into any one of the sliders and, in accordance with his choice and the direction in which he moves the lever I I6, he will impart a push upon a rack and a consequent rotation of one of the eccentrics,

The shifting of gears 46, 42, 44 and 46 is obtained by providing each with a groove 66' to receive a shifter 62. The shifter forks of gears 46 and 44 are slidably mounted on guide rod 64 and, similarly, the forks of gears 42 and 46 are mounted on rod 66. Rods 64 and 66 are supported at their ends in walls of chamber 36. Each shifter fork 62 has an upstanding horn 68.

In chamber 69 which is superposed above chamber 36 is mounted a plurality of egg-shaped eccentric members I6, I2, I4 and I6, each having an upstanding shaft I8 journalled in wall I9 and rising into chamber 17 that overlies chamber 69. Member 76 is coupled by shaft 19 to gear segment 86. In like manner, eccentrics 12', I4 and I6 are coupled to pinion'segments 82,64 and 86 respectively. Each pinion segment is engaged with a longitudinally slidable rack as shown in Fig. 3, in the following order: pinion 86 to rack 96, pinion 82 to rack 92, pinion 84 to rack 94, and pinion 86 to rack 96. Longitudinal movement of a rack accomplishes a turning motion ofthe associated gear segment and a corresponding turning motion of the eccentric member'therebelow. Since each eccentric member has a groove 98 in its lower face, in which is positioned a horn 6B of one of the shifter forks 62, revolution of the eccentric groove will provide reciprocal mo tion of the shifter fork and consequent engagement or disengagement of a gear on shaft 26 with itsmatinggear on driven shaft 31. i

The racks" 96-96 are mounted in guides As an example, let us assume that the lever I I6 has been introduced into the notch of slider H8 as shown in Fig. '7, and the slider has been caused to move out along the channel of its guideway arm of the X-shaped member II4. Pressure is applied to link I22, thence to rack 96 to cause gear segment to revolve and turn eccentric I6. Such action results in an application of pressure upon the horn 68 or fork 62 associated with gear 46 to move the fork and gear forwardly into mesh with gear 41. When the clutch 36, 3I, is engaged, rotative motion will be applied through driven shaft 3! to shaft 26 in a slightly reduced ratio and, of course, sheave 54 will be caused to rotate. A return of the lever H6 to the central position disengages the gears 46, 41.

. Such action is possible with any one of the pairs of gears in chamber 36 by proper manipulation of the lever II6.

A slide rod I36 is suitably mounted in the gear case and slidably supports a plurality of upright pins I32, I33, I34, and I35, which are, respectively, inserted into the grooves of eccentrics I6, 12, I4, and I6. Thus, when one of the eccentrics is turned, a forward motion is imparted to rod I36 when the concentric portion of the groove on the underside of the eccentric has moved so that the eccentric portion of the groove is urging the'pin forward. Such is illustrated in Fig. 6, wherein the eccentric I6 has been revolved through an arc of causing pin I35, which is slidably mounted on rod I36, to press against the collar I39 which is secured to the rod.

The clutch shifter fork 32 is also slidably associated with rod I36 between collar I46 and spring I4I, which is seated against collar I42.

By such means, forward movement of the rod I36 results in closing of the clutch 36, 3|, in timed sequence following the meshing of one of the pairs of gears in chamber 36.

If the vehicle is going to descend a hill the vehicle operator may wish to utilize the potential energy of the vehicle. If the sheave 54 is connected to some means of storing power and thezpower take-701T mechanism is placed in operationduring the descent: the potential energy is agssegsec tutti-re "utilization.

resistance to the movement-cf the vehicle due friction between the parts of the powerxtakee off mech'anism and the drag of the means of:

stcrin power on sheave 54. "I'his resistance of course, tends to decrease the-speed ofthe car during descent. The resistance can be] varied- "somewhat by the choice of gears "in the mech'anisinthat are meshed as the means or storingpower usually would offer more resistance iif"-the speed of the sheavebl-is increased.

An alternate means of meshing gears and l5without manipulating the lever H is -'pro-- vided, by' means of the brake pedal 150. This alternative is more convenient than using the lever HI if "the brake "may be needed *to' "further resist the movement of the vehicle as in descend ing- 'a' steep hill. As -will-be seen from the follow- .ing description, a'slight depression of the brake pedal I 50 will connect the power take-off mecha-' nism and a further depression will disconnect the power take-off mechanism and operate the brake of the vehicle. This "is accomplished by depressing the brake pedal 150 to cause the 'bell crank I52 to swing counter clockwise, as shown in Fig. 10, against the pull-of spring I 54. The lower arm of the bell-crank is positioned in notch 155 of presser bar I58. Link I60 connects bar 158 withlink-I-ZI of rack 94. As a "medium pressure is applied to pedal 1'50, first the gears are meshed in the normal manner, but as the pressure is increased more fully the brakes are applied by the bell-crank pressing against the brake-rod I62, which operates the vehicles brakes-in the conventional manner. At about the "same moment that the brakes are being "further depressed the hump I 54 on bar 158 contacts the cam I66, which causes the bar I58 to be displaced sideways, whereupon the notched end of bar I5Ilis disassociated from bell crank I52 and the bar is returned under the urgence of spring I59. In such event, the clutch will ,open and the gears 45, 45 will be unmeshed to remove power comprising the fork I12 slidable in guideway I13 and movable through the instrumentality of bellcrank I14 which is coupled to rod I30. When rod I30 moves forward the fork I12 moves out to engage lever I'I0 when it is in the neutral position. This prevents inadvertent shifting into gear, the conventional transmission while the power takeoff is in operating condition and constitutes a safety device in the vehicle.

Throughout the drawings frictionless bearings have been shown for the various shafts that rotate. The casing may be adapted variously for assembly and disassembly and, of course, lubricant seals may be employed, all according to usual practices.

While I have shown and described particular embodiments of my invention, it'fwill occur to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the invention, and I therefore aim in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. Apower take-off mechanisnif'for automotive vehicles, of the type having a'propeller shaft; 8.

driven "shaft; a gear couple and :a normally idisengaged clutch betweenisaid propeller shaft and said driven shaft said mechanism, comprising":- a countershaft; a normally disengaged a gear couple between said countershaft andsaid driven shaft, said gear couple beingengageableby movemerit of "one gear in an axis parallel to the'axis of' the 'other' gear; a 'revoluble eccentric member; shifter means associated "with said gear to be moved and with said e'ccentric membe'r and op er-able upon revolution of said eccentric mem-- o'er-r; clutch operating means iassociated -between said eccentric member "and said clutch and ope: erable by movement of said eccentric following engagement Toflsaid gears.;.rack and pinion means for revolving said eccentric member whereby-said gears 'arefirst engaged and then said clutch is engaged; and im'anually operable means for re ciprccating :said xriac'k iimeans.

.2. A power take-off mechanism for automotive vehicles, 'of the type having a .propeller shaiftyadriven shaft; .a .gear couple and a normally di'sa said "groove of the revo'luble member; clutch operating means associated with said concentric portion of the groove andwith said clutch; and means for revolving. said revoluble: member whereby said gears are first engaged and then said clutch is engaged.

3. A power take-off mechanism for automotive vehicles, of the type having a propeller shaft; a driven shaft; a gear couple and a normally disengaged clutch between said propeller shaft and said driven shaft; said mechanism, comprising: a countershaft; a plurality of normally disengaged gear couples between said countershaft and said driven shaft, said gear couples being of different ratios and each being engageable upon movement of one gear in an axis parallel to the axis of the corresponding gear; a revoluble eccentric member for each said plurality of gear couples; shifter means associated with each revoluble member and with the gear to be moved of the related gear couple and operable upon revolution of said eccentric member; clutch operating means associated with all said eccentric members and said clutch; and means for revolving selectivelyi 'a chosen eccentric member whereby the gears related thereto are first engaged and then said clutch is engaged.

4. A power take-off mechanism for automotive vehicles, of the type having a propeller shaft; a driven shaft; a gear couple and a normally disengaged clutch between said propeller shaft and said driven shaft; said mechanism, comprising: a countershaft; a plurality of normally disengaged gear couples between said countershaft and said driven shaft, said gear couples being of different ratios and each being engageable upon movement of one gear in an axis parallel to the axis of the corresponding gear; a revoluble eccentric member for each normally disengaged gear couple; shifter means associated with each revoluble member andjwith the gear to be moved 7a of the'related gear couple and operable upon-- revolution of said eccentric member; clutch operating means associated with all said eccen tric members and said clutch; and means for revolving selectively a chosen, eccentric member whereby the gears related thereto are first engaged and then said clutch is engaged, said eccentric revolving means including an X-shaped guide member, a slider associated with each arm of said X-shaped member, a pivoted arm to selectively reciprocate one of said sliders, and rack and pinion means between each slider and an eccentric member and operable to revolve the latter upon movement of the slider. Y 5.'A power take-off mechanism forgautomotive vehicles, of the type having a propeller shaft; a driven shaft; a gear couple and a. normally disengagedtclutch between said propeller shaft and said driven shaft; said mechanism, comprising:

a countershaft; a normally disengaged. gear couple between said countershaft and said driven shaft; said gear couple being engageable upon movement of one gear in an axis parallel to the axis of the other gear; a revo1ubleeccentric member; shifter means associated with said revoluble member and with the gear to be moved of the gear couple and operable upon revolution of said eccentric member; clutch operating means associated with said eccentric member and said clutch; and means for revolving said eccentric memberhwhereby the gears related thereto are first-engaged and then said clutch; is engaged, said eccentric revolving meansincluding a guide: way, a'slider associated with andmovable rela: tive said guideway,-. a pivoted lever to reciprocate said slider, and rack and pinion meansbetween said sliderand-revoluble eccentric.

' -'-6; A power take-01f mechanism for automotive vehicles, of the type having a propellershaft;-

eccentric member and said clutch; and means for Y revolving said eccentric member whereby the gears related'thereto are first engaged and 'thensaid clutch is engaged; said eccentric revolving means includinga rack and pinion-associated with the eccentric, a foot pedalcoupledtosaid rack and means for disengaging said pedal and rack following a predetermined movement of said rack. r MANUEL F. PACAS.-

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record "in' the file of this "patent:

H UNITED STATES PATENTS g i, Date- 

